Minnesota Vikings rookie WR Justin Jefferson, a first-round pick in the NFL Draft, is a ‘great route runner’ with ‘great hands’ and a ‘big-time playmaker,’ according to Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. ‘His skill set fits us perfectly,’ Spielman added. Head coach Mike Zimmer said Jefferson will ‘fit in well’ with the Vikings, noting he’s a tough, competitive receiver who makes a lot of contested catches. Jefferson said he played outside most of his life until sliding inside to the slot role last year, which is a position often occupied by WR Adam Thielen. Jefferson said he’ll play wherever the Vikings want him to moving forward.

The New England Patriots are moving forward with the growing likelihood that QB Jarrett Stidham, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, will be their starting quarterback entering the 2020 season, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss.

Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said rookie WR Henry Ruggs III stood out due to his speed (4.27 seconds at NFL Combine), which was a distinguishing factor of choosing him in the first round of the NFL Draft over other highly touted prospects. Mayock added Ruggs III’s explosion and work ethic were also part of the decision. ‘When you’re in the division we’re in and you look at Kansas City and you look at what they have on offense and what their explosion looks like, we needed to get faster and we think that his addition opens up our entire offense,’ Mayock said of the selection. ‘He can run the deep routes. He also gets the manufactured touches, the bubble screens, the jet sweeps. I think if you force defenses to roll coverage, it opens up our run game.’ Mayock went on to note that defenses respecting deep routes also opens up underneath routes for TE Darren Waller.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn feels like being drafted by the Bucs was a best-case scenario. ‘To be in this situation where you have Tom Brady as your quarterback, who loves throwing check-down routes … I feel like that’s the best opportunity that I could ask for,’ Vaughn said. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said he thinks Vaughn is capable of being a three-down back. ‘If you have a guy who can do multiple things, it makes him even more valuable to your team. We’ll see how it goes. We have to get him here, and we’ll get him in the mix, and we’ll see how it all shakes out,’ Licht said of his new running back. Vaughn believes he has home-run ability out of the backfield as both a runner and a pass-catcher.

New Orleans Saints WR Emmanuel Sanders will be the team’s No. 2 wide receiver in 2020 and adds a big boost to the offense, which was lacking dependable production out of receivers not named Michael Thomas last year. After Thomas’ 1,725 receiving yards, the next-best receiving output came from Ted Ginn Jr., who had just 421 yards receiving.

With both Seattle Seahawks RBs Chris Carson (hip) and Rashaad Penny (knee) coming off season-ending injuries, the team may be a bit thin at the position entering training camp. Enter rookie RB DeeJay Dallas, a fourth-round draft selection. Dallas adds versatility to the Seattle backfield, as he previously played wide receiver before converting to running back. Dallas also has experience as a punt and kick returner. He might be a decent fit for the team as a third-down back, but Dallas said he’ll do whatever the team asks of him.

Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said the team feels rookie WR Jalen Reagor best fits into their offensive scheme, which is why they passed on other receivers in favor of him during the NFL Draft. The team needed speed on the outside, which Reagor brings to the table.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick expects his group of wide receivers to be ‘very competitive’ in 2020. ‘I’m sure all our young players will improve in Year 2. Got a first-round pick on N’Keal [Harry] last year. Second-round pick on Mohamed [Sanu] — that was really off this draft. Obviously have Julian [Edelman] and a number of other young players,’ Belichick said. Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry and Mohamed Sanu sit atop the team’s depth chart entering the summer. The team also added WR Damiere Byrd during the offseason and return 2019 undrafted free agents Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski in addition to practice-squad receivers Devin Ross and Quincy Adeboyejo. Veteran WR Marqise Lee (Jaguars) also agreed to a one-year deal recently.

Updating previous reports, New Orleans Saints WR Emmanuel Sanders will make $10 million guaranteed with his new squad. He’ll have a $2 million base salary this year, which is fully guaranteed, and he received a $2 million signing bonus. His 2020 cap hit will be $4 million. In 2021, Sanders has a $6 million base salary, with a $2 million signing bonus, $2 million roster bonus and $10 million salary cap hit. There are an additional $1.5 million in incentives tied to receptions for both seasons. His deal also includes a 2022 season, but the deal voids, as reported, the last day of the 2021 NFL league year.

Undrafted free-agent TE Dylan Stapleton (James Madison) agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the Houston Texans on Monday, April 27.